A new way of education
Featuring Pranav Pawar who echoes the sentiments of today's youth and the changes they're craving for.
Kicking off the month with a special feature on this 17-year-old content creator, Pranav Pawar.
With a mission to change the Indian education system, Pranav makes self-improvement videos on his youtube channel ‘An Inquisitive Storyteller’.
He also has a weekly newsletter is ‘The Diary of An Inquisitive Kid’ where he shares his learnings from books, the internet and life itself.
Here’s an interaction between us (EB) and Pranav.
EB: It takes courage to stand apart from your peer group and do your own thing, especially as a teen! What inspired you to do so? And what's kept you going?
Pranav: I was always inclined towards growth. I loved talking to new people and learning about various fields. So I restarted my Twitter and started to connect with people. From my interactions and research, I realized the Indian education system is broken.
Since a child gets their first exposure to the world through school, I saw some gaps in what’s being taught in school and what is actually out there in the real world.
I also want to do something for India and I believe the changes can be implemented by the teenagers of this country.
The 2020 lockdown was the best time for my personal growth. It helped me build my network and gave me a lot of opportunities. I got a smartphone for the first time in my life and 24x7 internet access, which gave me exposure to the world out there.
My desire to educate people and spread awareness kept me going.
EB: You're on a mission to make a dent in the Indian education system. What changes do you wish to see?
Pranav: Of the many changes I want to make, here are some that really bother me:
😪The One fit for all systems. Schools take the same age group of children and categorises classes according to it. They don’t factor in our learning abilities, likings, or skills.
😪The emphasis on theoretical knowledge. We’re taught so much bookish knowledge without any practical actions. It’s like, learning how to make a pizza from the recipe book and not actually making it.
😪Rote learning- We’re forced to rote learn every formula, every step without any sense of ‘why’. We need to memorize things like the trigonometry formula but it’s better to learn the importance of applying it in life.
😪Failure is punished, and good marks are rewarded. Schools should be teaching that you either win or learn.
EB: What have been your biggest struggles along your journey?
Pranav: When you challenge the status quo and do something different, there are people who criticize you. My classmates tell me I should focus on what teachers say and follow school rules. With the way everything is taught, I don’t have an interest in academics and don’t score beyond 50%. Teachers scold me every day and try to humiliate me in front of the whole class.
But what I have released is that there will always be critics, I have to focus on the positive comments, and people who give me genuine feedback and love my content. It’s all become a part of the journey and now I can handle it.
EB: Name one habit that you swear by…
Pranav: The one habit I have built up in the last few months is the habit of showing up every day…
No matter how hot or cold the weather is, whether I am unwell and don’t feel like working, I’ll still get up and work on my content. I know that there are more than a hundred people waiting to see my content. So I show up every day.
Pranav: Describe what an epic being means to you…
Pranav: To me, an epic being means living a life so epic that you are who you are and no one can affect you. You are happy with what you choose to do and think differently.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment with your takeaways.
Wanna get featured? Write to us at start@theepicbeings.com with something transformative you’ve done that could inspire other young adults!